Hide and Seek
Even in the despair of utter silence, the once foul beast could detect her incoming presence. Fear struck the mightiest of the tailed beasts, as Sayuri Uchiha emotions drew forth, until her figure took form completely before him. His eyes fixated themselves on the woman's marvelous physique, though this was mostly to confirm his superiority over the smaller creature, and not for any other self enjoyment purposes. Akin to solitude for the past several years, it was Sayuri that had been the mastermind behind his demise. Anger filled the nine tailed fox, granting him inexpressible amounts of power, which he then utilized to uplift the dimension's genjutsu from only himself. Surprisingly, gaining full conscience, he found himself not tied to any form of chains, nor did he find himself limited in movement. The woman had appeared in front of him with a true sign of bravery, something which greatly angered him. He was the most feared being in existence, yet here was this women, who found herself to be better then he was. There would be no better time to display the difference in their power, she was practically asking to be slaughtered. Thinking without the regards of a suitable escape plan out of the dimension had he managed to kill her, Kurama charged forward. The pocket dimension in which he resided within was rather large, enough to fit the rest of his brethren without an ounce of irritation. As he rushed forward, Sayuri's benevolent crimson eyes glittered from beneath the strands of luscious brown hair that initially hid them, once more, bringing fear upon the beast. Thoughts of a similar phenom clouded Kurama's thought process, angering him even more. As the fox continued to trot forward, Sayuri calmly raised her right hand until it was level in height with her nose, forming the seal of the tiger. Suddenly, something gave way within the beast's chest, causing him to fall immediately. The fox howled out in pain, using his left paw's claws to scrape the terrain. "You've been a bad kitty." Sayuri stated, as she slowly began to approach the beast. The high heels of her shinobi sandals clacked against the dimension's metallic flooring... tap....tap....tap. With each step, she drew closer to Kurama. With each step, Kurama's heart jumped, longing for revenge. Finally, Sayuri arrived before the tailed beast, a warm smile on her face. Her soft, full lips covered in a shade of pink, she leaned forward, placing a kiss on Kurama's forehead, before burying her hand into his fur. "Did you miss me, darling? I've been away for quite sometime.." "Those foul eyes are as distasteful as ever... what is it that you seek? Why have you come here..?!" Kurama managed, though his tone suggested remorse. Sayuri smiled again, using both hands to stroke the tip of his snout. "I came to play with you, of course!" Sayuri admitted, her cheeks turning a bright red. She closed her eyes gently, emitting a precious warm laugh. What disgusted Kurama most about this woman was her behavior. She took the lives of many without so much of the slightest degree of guilt, something he could confirm through his Negative Emotions Sensing. She seemed to be never rattled, always smiling like some sort of mother baking a pie for her biological children. Just what was it with this women? Sayuri's hands returned to her, one going to flip her hair out of her face, the other to form the same tiger hand sign. She gazed directly into the right pupil of the beast, her sharingan rotating within her own sockets, taking form in Kurama's own. The puppet master seal encasing the beast's heart expanded, following a path through his arteries to arrive at the doorstep of it's brain. Intruding like some form of virus, the metallic ions invaded his thought process, allowing Sayuri instead, to channel his thoughts. She closed both her eyes, an image appearing within her mind. Though there was a degree of fuzziness at first, the image became more and more clear with time. A turtle like creature appeared within the inner chambers of Kurama's conscious, seemingly entrapped in another dimension as well. Sayuri's body began to tremble, ever so slightly. She was beginning to lose her control over the beast's mind, a testament to the ninth tail. However, before she was kicked out entirely, she was able to conceive to very important factors, an image of a far off land, and another of that of a charming female. Sayuri's eyes opened once more, causing those of Kurama to close for the time being. She leaned forward, planting a kiss on the very tip of his snout. "Thank you darling, you've finally come of use. Get some rest, however, not too much now, I may require a bit more of your assistance in a few hours." With another one of her warm smiles, Sayuri vanished from the face of her pocket dimension, leaving Kurama alone, once again. In the quietness of the midday sea breeze, The Whirlpool Daimyo stood on the balcony on the Uzushiogakure Imperial Palace overlooking the entire village as well as the sea beyond. His gaze lied over the people below, the Palace being the tallest building in the entire village. With the village being cleverly built into a a crescent-shaped crater, Kaito could easily project his voice to his people if need be. However, this wasn't the his reason for being on the balcony. Instead, he was waiting for a particular kunoichi. Having returned from her excursion to the Hidden Rain only a week before, she was still recovering from the endeavor. The clacking of zori heels sounded down the corridor of the Imperial Palace. Large, imposing columns lined the couloir that lead to Kaito's office. A young woman walked down the hallway, a stern look emanating from her jade green eyes. Her village headband wrapped around her forehead, signifying her native land. It was the Shooting Star and she was walking with a purpose. Chieko stopped as her final step echoed down the hall. Her hand reached out for the steel knob of the wooden door and turned it slowly, the creaking of the old wood being audible. "Chieko." The Daimyo stated with the eerily chilling voice that every Whirlpool shinobi knew and admired rather than feared. Even so, the voice so still made her heart leap in anxiety. It wasn't often that someone was called to the Daimyo's presence. "Yes, Hotaka-sama?" She responded stiffly. She wanted to remain as formal and respectful as possible. Of course, this meant she couldn't have a relaxed demeanor or tone when addressing Kaito. "I know it's a bit too soon to ask but, I would like to know if you would be able to take up a higher position. Your performance in your recent mission, as recorded in the reports of your subordinates, was exemplary." He turned and faced her with piercing eyes. Eyes that had seen so much blood that were a deep crimson themselves. Chieko tried her absolute hardest not to flinch in his sight. She only managed a slight nod, eliciting a smile from the Jashinist. "Wonderful. I will be promoting you to Head Ninja of the village's forces. I expect you'll excel in this position?" The way Kaito had enunciated that phrase sounded more as a command rather than a question, at least that's what it was to Chieko. She once again only nodded, her brain still trying to string together words. "I thank you sincerely for this oppurtunity, Hotaka-sama." She uttered shakily. Even with the nerves of steel she exhibits in battle, Chieko easily crumbled in the presence of her superiors specifically Kachū and Kaito. However, it was only a matter of time before she would put this new position to use. The time for Chieko to live up to her expectations would come far sooner than she may have hoped. Arriving with a distinctive swirling pattern of what was her signature space-time ninjutsu, emitted through her very own crimson eyes, Sayuri took in the fresh air the island of Uzushiogakure had to offer. This technique, however, was unbeknownst to all but a few, having mistakenly earned Sayuri the moniker of Sayuri of the Body Flicker (瞬身のシスイ, Shunshin no Sayuri). The secrets behind such a technique were known to none, and truthfully, all of those who could have claimed to known of such a power were long since dead. A gentle breeze welcomed Sayuri as she took her first few steps through the sandy beach. Her luscious brown hair blew in the wind behind her. Her delicate sandals attracted bits of sand, expressing a profound sense of formality to momentarily overtake Sayuri. The thought of undressing herself and bathing under the warmth of the sun was a marvelous one, though she had come to the island on a strict business trip; to search for the three tailed phenom. Altering her objective, Sayuri concentrated chakra to the tips of her fingers, before planting her right hand firmly against the soft terrain. A cylindrical barrier enveloped the entirety of the island, prohibiting anyone or anything from outside to interfere with Sayuri's plans. The presence of the barrier would have been enough to attract the attention of the island's various inhabitants. However, Sayuri instead took it upon herself to hunt down her prey, transporting herself to the most distinctive chakra signature she could locate on the entire island. Looking up at the balcony from below, Sayuri formed a hand seal, raising it high above her head. It would have been initially unnoticeable, though something began to form above the clouds. Holding the hand seal high above her head, a breeze accompanied Sayuri's resolve, flicking strands of her hair to the side to reveal her Sharingan to those above. The Sun that had been shining radiantly was suddenly disrupted by a strange cloud formation. Kaito turned to face the balcony when he saw the light in his office flicker. "That's strange. There was no sign of clouds coming in today." He says to himself, Chieko standing beside him. "Hotaka-sama, there's something wrong." She said with a distressed inflection in her tone. From a distance, a flaming wall stood tall and wide in Chieko's field of view. Kaito looked at her and then in the direction that Chieko was looking in. His red eyes widened in surprise. "We have to investigate." Chieko said, placing a hand on Kaito's shoulder. The Daimyo nodded understandingly, moving over to a large bookcase against his wall. He opened it with a devilish and anticipating grin. Inside was his prized Harbinger, a weapon feared throughout all of the Land of Eddies. Tales of how Kaito used it to defend what was left of the old Uzushiogakure were a common conversation piece between the public. However, only Kaito and a select few individuals know the truth of what he actually used it for. Taking it down from its perch, the scarlet blades glimmered. Kaito's eyes did the same as he twirled it above his head before plunging it into the ground. Chieko felt chills of fear as she saw the weapon as well as her leader's expression. "Hotaka-sama, we're only going to check out the anomaly. We aren't going to fight a war." Kaito laughed heartily. "It never hurts to prepare." He responded. With that, he moved to the balcony where he vaulted over the railing with reckless abandon. Chieko only shook her head, deciding to take the door down. The clouds slowly began to part, revealing the massive construct of what appeared to be a large sphere made entirely of metal. The sphere continued to grow larger and larger with each and every second, until it's enormous shadow engulfed the island, filling Uzushiogakure with utter darkness. Blocking the sun from plain view, it was all most as if night time had fallen upon the village instantly. The sphere grew until it was roughly twice the size of the island, remaining still once it did, hovering in the sky like it had never better to do. The walls of flames created earlier fitted around the sphere perfectly, with the sphere seemingly resting on the outer top like some sort of lid. Sayuri retrieved her hand from above her head, leaving it instead at her right hand side. Her senses led her to look up in the upper direction, at which came Kaito, falling from the balcony of the palace. Gathering chakra into her feet, Sayuri enhanced her vertical leap to superhuman levels, seemingly taking flight. With Kaito coming downward, Sayuri ascended straight upward, intending to meet Kaito in midair. The hand she had previously kept away at her side began to formulate chakra, until it took the form of a sphere. Emanating a vicious aura, the sphere itself was enhanced beyond recognition, and being of Sayuri's metallic component, gave her the ability to control it indirectly. Her body became intangible, though this was not noticeable through mere sight alone. All but her metallic sphere would phase through as Kaito fell from above, and as he had been in the middle of the sky, one would find it incredibly difficult to maneuver themselves in any which way. Kaito smiled as Sayuri's metal fire plunged through his chest, the chakra searing through his body. Kaito continued to fall, the chilled air whistling in his ears as he picked up speed. Landing on the ground below, the Daimyō looked back up at the Uchiha girl with deep blue eyes. Chieko finally emerged from the door of the Palace that lead out into courtyard Agora. The quietness of the agora was strange but both Kaito and Chieko ignored it. "Hotaka-sama, I believe this is my time to show why I'm the new Head Ninja," The kunoichi spoke. She put her hands together in string of seals and fired a volley of fireballs, her sleeves releasing weapons within them. In conjunction, Kaito divided his Harbinger and launched one at Sayuri with great speed. Credited as Sayuri's most powerful technique, the previous rasengan would have greatly crippled just about anyone. Though she was not aware of the latter's immortality, as it did not grant the user any known regenerative powers, Kaito would most likely have to fight with a large hole spanning from his neck down to his lower abdomen for the remainder of the match, if it some how failed to split him into two halves, as the intensity of the flames would have surely turned whatever flesh they had come into contact with into ashes. Seeing as though it was a direct hit, there was a good chance the body of the man had been blown off entirely. After dealing direct damage to her target, Sayuri continued to charge forward, phasing through him as he fell forward. She became tangible, and placing her feet against the palace wall, turned around, watching as Chieko made her appearance onto the battlefield, unleashing a volley of blazing fireballs. Sayuri's eyes lit up, encompassing the incoming attack in whole. Unleashing her Chakra Enhanced Strength, she thrusted through the wall and into one of the palace's many rooms, escaping the incoming harbringer, and instead, evading the volley of fireballs. The blasts of fire would have most likely have been directed into the palace, causing a great deal of destruction. Sayuri, now inside the palace, took a moment to collect her breath while surveying the enemies chakra signatures through the use of her sharingan, able to look through the wall with a thermal sight of some sorts. While inside the building, Sayuri directed her attention more so towards the growing sphere. Concentrating her chakra, she further enhanced it in size, while keeping a third sense on her enemies. The Harbinger lodged itself into the side of the building with a clang. Kaito frowned when he saw this and looked down at the noticeably large hole in his torso that now was slowly closing up. Chieko, having launched Flying Thunder God Kunai behind the fireballs, teleported to a random one that had stuck into the stone wall near the makeshift entrance that Sayuri created. Grabbing the kunai and taking it with her, she used her chakra to root herself perpendicular to the wall so that she could stand on the vertical surface. She put together a set of seals in front of the hole and released chakra that spread from her body to the wall and creeped along the rest of the immense palace, both inside and outside, before dissipating. "No doubt, she saw my display in there; the red of her eyes were a giveaway if anything. She's got their blood." She said as she noticed the burn marks of her earlier attack staining the building. "Even so, I can pinpoint exactly where she is though I'm sure Hotaka-sama is going about his business now." As she said this, the Daimyō shot up the side of the Palace towards the other half of his Harbinger. Once he reached it, he pulled it from the stone and rejoined it with its other half. The stars in the sky illuminated his sight as he turned Chieko and gave a nod. Chieko nodded in response and entered the building on her guard, ready to act a moments notice. It was simply inexplicable. The profound powers bestowed upon the wielder of the sharingan. Having encompassed the incoming attack as a whole, Sayuri saw in full detail that the volley of fireballs contained a series of kunai knives, and decided to simply evade them, instead of countering them more efficiently, planning to use them against their perpetrator. In truth, the Metal Release kekkei genkai granted her with the ability of controlling other metallic substances. It was by this simple method that she was able to forge metals in the first place. As they had yet to face off in direct confrontation, Chieko and Sayuri were both on separate floors of the palace. Cheiko's previous attack had made quite a presence within the side of the building, sprawling the kunai that had been hidden inside it. Lifting her hand, Sayuri drew forth a single kunai, seemingly the only one that was on the floor. The Kunai was lifted effortlessly, by an invisible force, arriving in Sayuri's hand upon her command. Using her profound ocular prowess, Sayuri gently twirled the knife in her hand, examining it with suspicion. With her chakra possessing the building, Chieko could feel the presence of Sayuri within the building. She also could the positions of her numerous kunai. As Sayuri grasped the kunai, Chieko's chakra began to infect her from the seal on the kunai. It would spread to every part of her body, but likely not without resistance. "This will ensure that she stays trapped." Chieko said as she concentrated on one of her kunai located near Sayuri. She appeared at one of the many kunai scattered around the room. When looking seeing Sayuri with her kunai in hand, Chieko immediately went into action by forming a few seals and placing her hand on the floor and causing a purple barrier seal to erupt from under the Uchiha's feet. Sayuri [[kamui|watched as Chieko transported into the room. It had all gone as she had planned, nothing could have been better. Using the chakra signature in the kunai to predict Chieko's arrival, Sayuri's body became intangible, subduing the effects of the purple barrier. Sayuri's own chakra immediately fended off the intriduting virus, of what was Chieko's chakra, proving its control superiority when compared to the latter. This was done with a very careful precaution, through a very minuscule process. Sayuri's chakra contained microscopic pieces of her metals, whose job it was to ensure her own safety. Chieko's chakra failed to travel any further than Sayuri's wrist. Sayuri's mangekyō sharingan manifested a unique ability, in the regard that the likes of no one had awakened it in both eyes. With both eyes, both of which possessed the unique straight tomoe, which allowed Sayuri to see in even greater detail than that of her fellow kinsmen, Sayuri had thoroughly inspected Chieko's Flying Thunder God Technique, synchronizing it with her own space-time ninjutsu. The deed had been done, and it was time to put the plan into play. Though she had accomplished a rather horrendous feat, Sayuri's face declared little arrogance, instead, bearing the same nonchalant expression it normally did. "The Shooting Star (流れ星, Nagareboshi)... they do not call you that for nothing. To think grandfather's jutsu has come under the possession of outsiders.. hmph." The fact that the beloved Flying Raijin was practiced outside of Konohagakure greatly bothered Sayuri, despite her own defection from the village several years ago. "It has been quite the dilemma, and for that, I must punish you." Sayuri stepped to the side and out of the radius of the border. Chieko would most definitely be surprised at such an act, having seemingly been confident in her victory. Sayuri continued along the balcony slowly, her backside to Chieko. "You see, it is hero's such as yourself that have no such place in this world. You only offer confusion.. and in return for diligence expect praise. Go now hero, for your village cries out for your assistance. Who will you choose, I wonder... not that it matters any longer." Sayuri raised a hand seal, and an exact replicate forged from her flesh, instantly warping away from the second it arrived. Sayuri turned around, allowing Chieko to see the blood that spilled from her left eye. "Your a hero, aren't you? Good. Then I command you to choose between either yourself or this pitiful village. Aware or not, this entire village will likely meet it's demise, dependent solely on your decision." Raising her hand, Sayuri gave off a tremendous surge of chakra, blowing off the roof to reveal the sky, in which angle, it was clearly visible, that Sayuri planned to destroy not only the village, but the entire village, by sending the sphere down. "Which one will it be, hero? Transport this meteor here now, and I will strike you down in an instant. Save yourself, and say goodbye to your people..!" Sayuri motioned her hand downward, at which, the meteor came down at a blinding rate of speed. Whatever option Chieko had elected, it was necessary for her to work fast. Sayuri looked forward, curious as to how this woman would counterattack. Surely the sheer size and mass of the meteor would be impossible to stop through any other method. Scanning the horizon for Kaito, Sayuri waited for Chieko to make her move. In a parallel universe unbeknownst to the shinobi world, the metallic replicate of Sayuri Uchiha arrived before Isobu, the three tailed beast. Within seconds, the beast's eyes mirrored that of Sayuri's, before it slowly began to vanish in a distinctive swirling pattern. Chieko shook her head, laughing as she did so. "Even with those eyes, you're still as blind as a mole." She uttered as she threw up her hand, stopping the falling body entirely. "Did you ever take a moment to notice that there are stars in the sky? Did you ever notice that Kaito did not move even as you blew off the roof? Did you even notice that I didn't care how i damaged the palace nearly beyond repair?" She walked towards Sayuri with a smug look. "You were finished before we even started, Sayuri. I know every move you have made, are making, and will make. I even know that you are using a metal clone of yours to capture our Tailed Beast. But really, all you've doing is falling deeper into your own grave." The Whirlpool kunoichi snapped her fingers and created a spitting image of Kaito standing in the middle of the room. He stood with a blank, robotic stare and held his Harbinger in a stiff position almost like a statue. Chieko performed a few seals before placing her arms at her sides. "Now, let's see how you do with this." She said as she formed a flaming sphere in her hand and leapt at Sayuri, aiming at her head. Sayuri's face remained as emotionless as ever. "Who.. is finished?" Sayuri made no further efforts to explain what had really been going on. The second Sayuri caught on to Chieko's plans, her eyes reflected the genjutsu, turning the tables of the match. What Chieko had though had been happening because of her, was really because Sayuri allowed it to happen. As Chieko drew forward with the sphere, Sayuri vanished completely from plain view. The mass of the meteor collided with the village, resulting in a triumphant rage of screams, belonging to the several citizens of Uzushiogakure. The first to go was the palace, as it had been the largest building complex the island had ever known. Villagers attempted to evade the meteor, but found themselves instead incinerated into ashes, as they came in contact with the barrier. Sayuri was nowhere to be seen, as in actuality, encompassing the power of both eyes to further enhance her already instantaneous speed, she had appeared outside of the barrier, concentrating chakra into the soles of her feet to remain balanced over the ocean. Watching as the face of the meteor collided with the ground, Sayuri raised her hand up towards her nose, forming a single hand seal. The meteor detonated, resulting in a large mushroom cloud that spread out over a given distance. The barrier dispelled itself in the process, though because Sayuri had allowed it to. As the smoke cleared, the island revealed itself to have been completely obliterated. Whatever was left of it floated carelessly on top of the water, in the form of ashes. Sayuri looked on for several more moments, taking in the scenery in full. She closed her eyes gently, the wind blowing through her hair. "They say a person's true colors come out just before their death. Chieko of the Flying Raijin... was this your color?" Though the woman might have been unaware of the genjutsu, she had still indirectly chosen to protect herself over her fellow comrades. Was this truly what the world had become? Perhaps a village that produced such shinobi deserved to fall. Sayuri looked on as the wind picked up. She observed the oceans, before an idea nestled its way into her mind. A single stream smeared down her cheek. "I am the true savior of this world..." She declared, noticeably emotional for once. She squatted down, placing her hand into the water. "Your deaths will lead to a better world.. I assure you. Sometimes, you must give up a hundred pennies to forge a dollar. Worry not, spirits of the past... for I will commend forth a far better village." Sayuri's eye emitted yet another swirling pattern. As she made way to leave, she ensured to leave no survivors, her ability to sense concluded this. She appeared within her own dimension to find her newest addition. She smiled, approaching the three tails. Unlike Kurama, the beast did not possess enough strength to counter her genjutsu. The beast's eyes were forced shut, whether or not it was aware of what was going on was highly unlikely. Sayuri stood between the turtle's eyes, placing her hand against the smooth skin belonging to his forehead. She ran her hand back and forth gently, transferring her chakra into the beast. Kurama, who was located directly parallel to Sayuri and Isobu, slowly awoke from his slumber. "Did you have a nice nap, kitty?" Sayuri questioned, aware of Kurama's wakening due to the fluctuation of chakra he gave off. "Isobu..." Kurama managed, his voice filled with various emotions. Once heralded as the defamation of hatred, the nine tailed fox had grown weak, due to a certain someone. He expressed great concern for his brethren always, though for him to do so "publicly" was uncommon. Sayuri ignored Kurama's moment of remorse, instead, concentrating on her procedure. She closed her eyes, forming a hand seal to release the diamond on her forehead. Chakra from the beast began to flow inside, replenishing her own reserves. A seal formed at the very core of Isobu's heart, granting Sayuri a degree of control. More and more metallic particles flowed from Sayuri's chakra and into the beast. In time, the seal reformed on Sayuri's forehead. She turned to Kurama, offering one of her patent warm smiles. Her eyelids opened slowly, revealing her glowing red eyes. Fin